The Top HR Articles of 2024: Creating Value with People Analytics
It was in 2014 that I first compiled a year-end compendium of 20 people analytics and data-driven HR articles from the previous 12 months and published it on LinkedIn.
Back then it was an achievement to find 20 articles. Now it is an impossible task to prune so many wonderful resources down to a single summary – such has been the explosion of people analytics in the last decade as it has shifted from the periphery to the centre of people strategy. Indeed, as I reminisced by reading the ten collections to date for 2014, 2015, 2016 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 (Part 1 and Part 2) and 2023 (Part 1 and Part 2), it became abundantly clear that the growth in the field has been staggering.
The advance of people analytics has been mirrored by the human resources field in general as it elevates itself from a support function to a strategic partner. As I wrote in my article, 12 Opportunities for HR in 2025, the field has a huge opportunity to build a thriving workforce, a thriving culture, and a thriving organisation. People analytics is pivotal to this mission.
So, in the second decade of the Data Driven HR Monthly, it’s time to change up this annual reflection on the year that has just passed. As such, in the coming days and weeks, there will be five editions of this newsletter organised into the following five themes:
Part 1: Creating value through people analytics
Part 2: Orchestrating the future of work
Part 3: Enhancing employee experience and wellbeing
Part 4: Developing leaders, culture and inclusion
Part 5: Building the strategic HR function
I hope you enjoy reading the selections for 2024. If you do, please subscribe to my Data Driven HR newsletter, and tune in to the Digital HR Leaders podcast.
Join me for a Insight222 webinar on February 5 to discover they key themes shaping People Analytics in 2025.
If you want to learn how AI, close alignment with people strategy, and data democratisation, are enabling Leading Companies to drive business value with people analytics, register for the Insight222 People Analytics Trends Webinar. The webinar, which will take place on February 5, will be hosted by me and feature Naomi Verghese and Madhura Chakrabarti, PhD unpack the findings from the recently published 5th annual People Analytics Trend study. You can register for the webinar here – or by clicking the image below.
1. CREATING VALUE WITH PEOPLE ANALYTICS
JONATHAN FERRAR, NAOMI VERGHESE, AND MADHURA CHAKRABARTI - Harnessing Data for Growth: The Impact of People Analytics Article | Full Report
The fifth annual People Analytics Trends study, which was published in December 2024, was our biggest yet at Insight222, with 348 participating organisations. The four key findings were: (1) Growth: people analytics continues to expand in scope and investment. (2) Intelligent automation: the advent of GenAI has catalysed HR’s use of AI with people analytics at the core and central to AI strategy in HR. (3) Adoption crisis: the adoption of people analytics remains a challenge with a significant gap between the democratisation of people insights and data (71% of organisations) and a high-level of adoption within HR (47%) and outside HR (28%) – see FIG 1. (4) Value: measuring and demonstrating value is now essential for people analytics teams to increase their impact and drive greater ROI. Kudos to the authors: Jonathan Ferrar, Naomi Verghese, and Madhura Chakrabarti, PhD Thanks too to the practitioners featured in the study: Adam Tombor (Wojciechowski), Peter Ryan, and Phil Willburn.
FIG 1: Trends in the democratisation and adoption of analytics (Source: Insight222)
DELOITTE - 2023 High-Impact People Analytics Research
Prioritizing PA customers means understanding their needs—and how those needs align (or don’t) with the function’s capabilities and broader business priorities.
The report by Eric Lesser Peter DeBellis and Marc Solow which is based on a 2023 study by Deloitte of more than 400 organisations across 18 countries, presents a People Analytics Maturity Model (see FIG 2) and discusses six key findings. These are: (1) People Analytics has become an organisational imperative. (2) Data culture is the single biggest predictor of people analytics performance. (3) Tech investments mean nothing without human capability (and vice versa). (4) Today’s challenges demand more data from more sources. (5) An expanding customer base means new demands on the people analytics function. (6) People data is business data – treat it as such.
FIG 2: High-Impact People Analytics Maturity Model (Source: Deloitte)
COLE NAPPER, JIN YAN, AND BEN ZWEIG - What is happening to people analytics? A 15- year trend: Part One | Part Two | Part Three (with KRISTIN SABOE)
How has people analytics employment changed in the last 15 years, and specifically how has the environment changed in the last two years? That was the question that Cole Napper along with Jin Yan and Ben Zweig sought to answer after being inspired by Alexis Fink to analyse these topics. The findings were delivered in three articles. Part One presented a number of interesting – and perhaps counterintuitive – findings, including that people analytics positions in the US actually declined in the last two years – the data collated by Revelio Labs suggests more than 1,000 people have left the field during this time (see FIG 3). In Part Two, the team turned their attentions to an analysis of the skills of people analytics professionals and the impact of the field during the last 15 years. Insights included that there is a correlation between companies with ‘prestigious’ people analytics teams and companies being rated more highly for employee sentiment. In Part 3, Kristin Saboe, Ph.D. gets involved to shine the light on how the composition of government people analytics jobs have changed over the last 15 years. Finally, the team provide three recommendations are provided to move the field forward: (1) Add real value and break the cycle. (2) Mature the people analytics function. (3) Let’s get back to growth.
FIG 3: People analytics positions have been decreasing in the last two years (Source: Revelio Labs)
MARGRIET BENTVELZEN, CORINE BOON, AND DEANNE N. DEN HARTOG - A person centered approach to individual people analytics adoption
In their paper, Margriet Bentvelzen Corine Boon and Deanne Den Hartog study people analytics adoption through the lens of the implementation of people analytics technology. They identify four profiles related to differences in user satisfaction and the frequency and versatility of PA technology use. They demonstrate that performance benefits, social influence, required effort, and facilitating conditions jointly affect the use of PA technology, but that the latter two might be the most influential factors. FIG 4 demonstrates the four user profiles identified in the paper: the skeptic diplomats, the optimistic strugglers, the optimists, and the enthusiasts.
FIG 4: Source – Bentvelze, Boon and Den Hartog (2024)
PATRICK COOLEN - The 10 golden rules for establishing a people analytics practice
A successful people analytics practice starts with the right people analytics leader
Patrick Coolen’s first iteration of his ’10 golden rules for people analytics’ (one prescient ‘rule’ was to combine strategic workforce planning and analytics) was published in 2014 when he was in the early stages of building the function at ABN Amro. A decade on, Patrick updates his seminal article, with insights from his own career journey, Ph.D research, and the evolution of the field itself. As ever, Patrick is right on the mark with his ten selections including these three: (1) The people analytics leader can make the difference, (2) Create a clear people analytics operating model, and (3) Upskill HR in data-driven decision making.
SHONNA WATERS, ERIN EATOUGH, SHEHZAD BASHIR, AND IAN O'KEEFE - People Analytics Across Company Growth Stages: Evolving Your Approach as You Scale
HR Analytics adoption is associated with higher return on investment by an average of 6.2% for return on capital employed
In their white paper, four esteemed experts in people analytics - Shonna Waters, PhD Erin Eatough, PhD Shehzad Bashir and Ian OKeefe, break down how to build and refine people analytics capabilities that grow with your organisation. The authors introduce a practical framework for people analytics based on four pillars - each with its own set of capabilities: Governance (with seven capabilities including strategy, ethics and compliance), Infrastructure (also with seven capabilities such as storage, performance and security), Methods (with eight capabilities including primary research, statistical models and machine learning), and Products (with nine capabilities including metrics, dashboards, and nudges), which they state form the basis for organisations to build and subsequently scale their people analytics function. This is a well-researched, practical and helpful paper.
NAOMI VERGHESE, JONATHAN FERRAR, AND JORDAN PETTMAN - Building the People Analytics Ecosystem: Operating Model v2.0 ARTICLE | FULL REPORT
One of the questions we get asked most by the people analytics leaders and chief people officers we work with at Insight222 is: What capabilities do I need to build into our people analytics function? Based on research of more than 250 companies, focus interviews with 20 organisations, and our experience of working with more than 120 global companies as part of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, my colleagues Naomi Verghese, Jonathan Ferrar and Jordan Pettman developed the report: Building the People Analytics Ecosystem: Operating Model v 2.0. The executive article provides a summary of the key highlights, while the full report breaks down the six elements of the People Analytics Ecosystem (see FIG 5): (1) A Value Chain: from client drivers to business outcomes. (2) People Strategy at the Centre: a symbiotic relationship exists between people strategy and people analytics. (3) Five Core Capabilities: consulting, data science and research, employee listening, analytics at scale, adoption. (4) Four Additional Capabilities: reporting, data governance, workforce planning, AI strategy. (5) Internal Partnerships: HR and other business stakeholders are key to operational effectiveness. (6) External Partnerships: external suppliers and expertise are important for enabling success.
FIG 5: The People Analytics Ecosystem (Source: Insight222 Building the People Analytics Ecosystem: Operating Model v 2.0)
JAAP VELDKAMP - Positioning People Analytics into the HR Service Model: A Path to Sustainable Impact
Embedding People Analytics within the HR Service Model is essential for creating a lasting and meaningful impact.
In his thoughtful article, Jaap Veldkamp, Global Head of People Analytics and Organisational Effectiveness at ABN AMRO, provides guidance on how people analytics should be positioned within the broader HR service model. Jaap provides a simplified view of the HR operating model (see FIG 6), which has three components: (1) Identifying needs. (2) Prioritising needs. (3) Executing and evaluating strategies. He then describes how the key capabilities of ABN AMRO’s people analytics function (Dashboarding and reporting, Employee listening, Data science and research, Organisational effectiveness, and Consulting) flow through the HR service model. As Jaap highlights: “the overall aim is to ensure that the capabilities of the People Analytics team are part of every step in the HR Service Model.”
FIG 6: Simplified HR Service Model (Source: Jaap Veldkamp)
RICHARD ROSENOW - From Data to Strategy: The New Role of Workforce Systems Leaders in Transforming HR
Without a Workforce Systems Leader, these decisions fall to the CHRO, pulling them into day-to-day inter-functional debates when they should focus on the strategic vision
In Insight222’s 2024 study, Building the People Analytics Ecosystem, we identified three types of people analytics leader that are emerging as the people analytics operating model continues to evolve. One of these – the Portfolio Analytics leader – has similarities to a trend identified by Richard Rosenow in his white paper for One Model. The findings are based on more than 40 HR teams hiring a Workforce Systems Leader combining people strategy, operations, technology, data and analytics (see FIG 7). In the paper, Richard covers: (1) Key challenges in people analytics – how the role of people analytics often extends far beyond their original role description. (2) Mastering the People Data Supply Chain – highlighting the essential steps to building a robust people analytics function. (3) The emergence of Workforce Systems Leaders. Read a preview in Richard’s LinkedIn post and download the full paper here.
FIG 7: The role of a Workforce Systems Leader (Source: One Model)
DIRK JONKER - Finance and Human Resources: A Strategic Partnership for Business Growth
Empathy has always been HR’s superpower, but it’s time to extend that empathy to seeing the workforce through a financial and business lens.
In our research into Leading Companies in people analytics at Insight222, one relationship stands out: the partnership with finance. Of the 25% of companies (86 out of 348 companies) who participated in our 2024 People Analytics Trends study and told us that they had built a partnership with finance, 93% reported that the people analytics team had delivered measurable outcomes over the last 12 months. In his article, Crunchr CEO Dirk Jonker explains why and how HR and Finance should work together, painting a vision where: “Together, HR and finance can unlock a future where employees are seen for what they truly are: a company’s most significant (and measurable) asset.” For more from Dirk on this topic, I recommend tuning into his conversation with me on the Digital HR Leaders podcast: Driving Business Transformation with Advanced People Analytics.
PIETRO MAZZOLENI - Transforming HR: How IBM measures the success of its people data platform investments
For those of you who haven’t already subscribed to Pietro Mazzoleni’s People Data Platform newsletter, I highly recommend you do. In this edition, Pietro walks through the three tiers of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) IBM uses to evaluate investments in Workforce 360, its people data platform (see FIG 8). For more on how IBM infuses people analytics and AI into HR, listen to a recent episode of the Digital HR Leaders podcast, where I discuss with CHRO Nickle LaMoreaux - how IBM is augmenting HR programs with AI.
FIG 8: Three tiers of KPIs to evaluate investments in a people data platform (Source: Pietro Mazzoleni)
ETHAN BURRIS, BENJAMIN THOMAS, KETAKI SODHI, AND DAWN KLINGHOFFER - Turn Employee Feedback into Action
Ultimately, success (in employee listening) lies in empowering leaders to translate insights into concrete actions, effectively communicating progress, and fostering a continual feedback loop that values and respects the diverse voices within the organization.
"To manage the employee experience, leaders must deeply understand employees’ perceptions, feelings, and desires and respond thoughtfully. This is particularly crucial when immense resources are invested in gathering employee feedback through pulse surveys, town halls, and data scraping from internal communications. But leaders are often overwhelmed by the data and struggle to translate it into actionable insights." In their Harvard Business Review article, Ethan Burris, Benjamin Thomas, Ph. D, SHRM-CP, Ketaki Sodhi, PhD and Dawn Klinghoffer, share insights from interviews with more than two dozen companies to outline seven challenges and demonstrate how leading places to work have built an integrated process for assembling and understanding employee input and translating it into action. The seven challenges are: (1) Making sense of all that data. (2) Making sure employees feel heard. (3) Identifying the actual underlying problems. (4) Protecting employee privacy. (5) Navigating conflicting views. (6) Not burying bad news. (7) Providing meaningful follow-up.
PHIL WILLBURN - People Analytics Demystified: A Practitioner’s Handbook
Highly effective HR organizations know that every area of the business makes people decisions. The best people analytics teams excel by scaling people insights to all business leaders, ensuring these insights reach those making critical people decisions
Phil Willburn, the Head of People Analytics, and his team recently hosted a Peer Meeting for member companies of the Insight222 People Analytics Program® at Workday’s global headquarters in California. During the two days, Phil and his team presented some of the amazing work they are doing with people analytics in areas such as workforce planning, employee experience and hybrid work. Some of the content they presented is in this insightful e-book, which shines a light on how Workday has scaled people analytics in its own company (see FIG 9), their product-oriented and persona-based approach, and provides details on three case studies including how the team provides insights on flexible work and collaboration.
FIG 9: People analytics and insights at Workday (Source: Phil Willburn, Workday)
EMILY KILLHAM - From Insight to Action: New Data on the State of Employee Listening (Article) | The State of Employee Listening 2024 (Report)
(Leading firms ensure) listening efforts are aimed at the most important business and talent priorities facing their organizations today.
Emily Killham highlights the key findings from Perceptyx’s third annual State of Employee Listening report, which is informed by survey of more than 750 senior HR leaders from global firms with at least 1,000 employees. These include: (1) 78% of firms surveyed conduct some kind of listening event at least once a quarter, compared to 70% in 2023 and 60% in 2022. (2) Nearly 40% of organisations can share listening data with managers within two weeks. (3) When compared with their peers, the most mature listening organisations are 6x more likely to exceed financial targets, 9x more likely to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction, 4x more likely to retain talent, even during times of high attrition, 7x more likely to adapt well to change, and 7x more likely to innovate effectively.
FIG 10: Employee Listening Maturity (Source: Perceptyx)
RESOURCES FROM CURRENT AND PREVIOUS PEOPLE ANALYTICS LEADERS
In each edition of the Data Driven HR Monthly, I feature a collection of articles by current and recent people analytics leaders. These are intended to act as a spur and inspiration to the field. Nine of the best from 2024 are presented here:
In Our Real-Life Journey with GenAI in Skills and Talent Management (with code!!), the Wolters Kluwer talent analytics team of Mariëlle Sonnenberg, Federico Bechini, Sietse Schröder and Caitlin van Mil share a case study of using GenAI to provide the foundation of their work to transition to a skills-based organisation.
Andrés García Ayala, Group Head of People Analytics and Strategic Workforce Planning at Legal & General, discusses five reasons why people analytics should be at the heart of AI’s successful workplace adoption.
Martha Curioni provides guidance on how to support HR to adopt people analytics harnessing insights from the likes of Isabel Naidoo, Patrick Coolen, Greg Newman, and Amit Mohindra.
In a two-part post, Hallie Bregman, PhD discusses the pros and cons of situating people analytics in or outside HR: Part 1 and Part 2.
In an edition of his excellent Making People Analytics Real Substack, Willis Jensen digs into what makes a ‘good’ and a ‘bad’ people analytics metric. The secret? Ask yourself: “Can I make a line chart of the metric?”
In The Three Most Common Statistical Tests You Should Deeply Understand, Keith McNulty explains that hypothesis testing is one of the most fundamental elements of inferential statistics. He uses an example to show three common hypothesis tests (Welch’s t-test, Correlation test, and Chi-square test of difference in proportion) and how they work under the hood, as well as showing how to run them in R and Python and to understand the results.
Having worked in both domains, Scott Rogers is well-qualified to explore the dynamics of the HRBP-People Analytics relationship. He presents a framework identifying the key focus areas for people analytics leaders (e.g. championing HR operational excellence) and HRBPs (e.g. engaging with and advocating for people analytics).
Jackson Roatch outlines how people analytics teams can move from correlation to causation and create more impact by adding econometric methods to its tools and capabilities.
Nelson Spencer presents his S.T.A.R.T Framework (see FIG 11), which is designed to solve a perennial problem for many HR functions: the disconnect between analytics, technology and operations. As Nelson explains, S.T.A.R.T has been designed “to consider these three critical functions holistically, acknowledging that they are part of a bigger puzzle and are all deeply interconnected.” The five pillars, which Nelson describes in detail in his article, are: (1) Strategy, (2) Technology, (3) Analytics, (4) Results, and (5) Transformation. He then provides guidance on how to implement the framework in organisations of varying sizes, from small to large.
FIG 11: The S.T.A.R.T Framework (Source: Nelson Spencer)
READ THE OTHER INSTALMENTS OF THE BEST ARTICLES OF 2024
Don’t forget to check out the four other editions of Data Driven HR Monthly, where I reveal my best articles of 2024:
Part 2: Orchestrating the future of work (available from Sunday, January 12)
Part 3: Enhancing employee experience and wellbeing (available from Thursday, January 16)
Part 4: Developing leaders, culture and inclusion (available from Sunday, January 19)
Part 5: Building the strategic HR function (available from Thursday, January 23)
THANK YOU
Thanks to all the authors and contributors featured in the best articles of 2024 as well as across the monthly collections from 2024 – see January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December - your passion, knowledge and expertise continues to inspire. Thanks also to my colleagues at Insight222, the guests and sponsors of the Digital HR Leaders Podcast in 2024 and the great many of you that share and engage with the content I share. It’s much appreciated. I wish you all well for a happy, healthy, and successful 2025.
UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF YOUR PEOPLE ANALYTICS FUNCTION THROUGH THE INSIGHT222 PEOPLE ANALYTICS PROGRAM
At Insight222, our mission is to make organisations better by putting people analytics at the centre of business and upskilling the HR profession The Insight222 People Analytics Program® is your gateway to a world of knowledge, networking, and growth. Developed exclusively for people analytics leaders and their teams, the program equips you with the frameworks, guidance, learnings, and connections you need to create greater impact.
As the landscape of people analytics becomes increasingly complex, with data, technology, and ethical considerations at the forefront, our program brings together over one hundred organisations to collectively address these shared challenges.
Insight222 Peer Meetings, like this event in London, are a core component of the Insight222 People Analytics Program®. They allow participants to learn, network and co-create solutions together with the purpose of ultimately growing the business value that people analytics can deliver to their organisations. If you would like to learn more, contact us today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Green ?? is a globally respected author, speaker, conference chair, and executive consultant on people analytics, data-driven HR and the future of work. As Managing Partner and Executive Director at Insight222, he has overall responsibility for the delivery of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, which supports the advancement of people analytics in over 100 global organisations. Prior to co-founding Insight222, David accumulated over 20 years experience in the human resources and people analytics fields, including as Global Director of People Analytics Solutions at IBM. As such, David has extensive experience in helping organisations increase value, impact and focus from the wise and ethical use of people analytics. David also hosts the Digital HR Leaders Podcast and is an instructor for Insight222's myHRfuture Academy. His book, co-authored with Jonathan Ferrar, Excellence in People Analytics: How to use Workforce Data to Create Business Value was published in the summer of 2021.
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2025年01月09日
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12 Opportunities for HR in 2025: Thriving People, Thriving Organisation
This quote, most commonly attributed to Sun Tzu, aptly captures the essence of the 2020s as we reach the halfway point of what has been a turbulent decade thus far. The chaos element has been to the fore with a global pandemic, geopolitical tension, and economic uncertainty leading to an increasingly complex and volatile business environment. Sprinkle in the rapid advances in technology and artificial intelligence, then it’s not hard to see why 45% of CEOs believe their company will not be viable in ten years if it stays on its current trajectory (1).
Here comes the opportunity element. For the HR profession, there’s a strong case to be made this perfect storm has accelerated the transformation of the field from a support function to a strategic partner to the C-suite and the board. Josh Bersin argues that the chief people officer may now be the most important C-suite role of them all (2). Certainly, the opening words of Deloitte’s latest Global Human Capital Trends report encapsulates that many of the major challenges organisations face have people topics at their heart (3):
We’re operating in a world where work is no longer defined by jobs, the workplace is no longer a specific place, many workers are no longer traditional employees, and human resources is no longer a siloed function
Herein lies the opportunity for chief people officers: to align people strategy, analytics and technology to enable company growth, lead transformation both for the business and the function, act as the steward for ethical AI (4), and upskill HR professionals. Thriving people, thriving organisation.
During the 10+ years I’ve been publishing this annual look at the year ahead, it has evolved from a framing of predictions or trends to opportunities, given that much of what follows will likely take years to play out. As ever, the 2025 opportunities are informed by the research and work we do at Insight222 (5), interviews with guests on the Digital HR Leaders podcast (6), conversations with leaders in the field and market analysis. References are numbered throughout, and a comprehensive list with links is included at the end.
Get involved – what should opportunities #11 and #12 be?
Readers may note that the title and accompanying image indicate 12 opportunities, whereas only ten are outlined. That is because – as was the case in previous years - I’m keen to crowdsource the final two opportunities from readers. What other opportunities should be included? Please let me know in the comments section below, and I’ll add my favourite two to an updated version in January.
THE 2025 OPPORTUNITIES FOR HR
Ten opportunities for HR to realise in 2025…
1. Cultivating the thriving organisation
Ask not what your people can do for you, but ask instead what you can do for your people
A 2024 study by McKinsey estimates that the total global opportunity for optimising employee health and wellbeing could be up to $11.7 trillion (7). Numerous studies, including by Oxford University, find a strong positive relationship between employee wellbeing and firm financial performance (8). Indeed, according to Accenture, companies that take a people-centric approach could create $10.3 trillion in economic value (9). When people thrive, organisations thrive. Yet, employee burnout levels remain at an all-time high (10, 11). This presents an opportunity for HR to flip the script and, to paraphrase President John F. Kennedy, ask not what your people can do for you, but ask instead what you can do for your people. By focusing on creating value for employees and helping them to thrive, companies can create a virtuous cycle whereby employee outcomes enhance organisational outcomes and vice-versa (12, 13). For example, one PwC study found that making investments in 11 key areas of employee experience can yield savings equivalent to 12.6% of revenues (14). While Deloitte reports that the organisations that score highest on treatment of their workforce had a 2.2% higher five-year return on equity (15). Reimagining work as a product (16), becoming a listening organisation focused on turning employee feedback into action (17), as well as using people analytics to measure how wellbeing, purpose, learning, and attrition connect to business outcomes (18, 19), are three ways to create value. If successful in this mission, HR could elevate the function from its traditional role as a cost centre to a true value creation centre, while creating a fairer, healthier, and more humane organisation (20). What could be a bigger and better opportunity than that?
An organization that views its employees as its most important resource can maximize its return on talent (21)
FIG 1: Thriving stars have an outsize influence on organisations (Source: McKinsey)
2. Transforming HR into a strategic partner
The CHRO must transform the HR team, moving from the “service delivery” model to an HR team of consultants, problem-solvers, and analysts. (22)
With CEOs increasingly demanding more from HR and with data and AI enabling the transformation of HR into a more strategic, value-added and insight-driven function (23, 24), chief people officers have the opportunity to elevate HR from its traditional role as a support function into a true strategic partner (25). Six areas to consider are: i) Rethinking the HR operating model. Nearly two-thirds of companies have done so in the past two years (26). There’s certainly no shortage advice (27 – see FIG 2, 28, 29, 30). ii) Putting people analytics at the right-hand of the CHRO.Our research at Insight222 finds that a strong connection with the people analytics leader together with combining people strategy and analytics enhances the credibility and impact of the CHRO with the board (31, 32), as does embedding it as part of the HR service model (33). iii) Reimagining key HR roles and processes through automation toincrease the focus on high-value strategic work (34, 35). iv) Prioritising high-impact use cases for deploying AI across HR programs and the employee lifecycle (36, 37). v) Identifying future skills and capabilities of HR professionals together with a strategy to close any gaps. vi) Leading on the development of ethical and responsible AI policies and enablement programs (38) – and never forgetting the ‘H’ in HR.
FIG 2: Assessment of Ten Dimensions of HR Effectiveness (Source: The RBL Group)
3. Setting the agents to work
We're using AI in three broad categories: recommendations, assistants, and agents. This is transforming our HR function. (39)
The topic du jour is agentic AI – the next frontier of generative AI (40). Gartner predicts that by 2028, at least 15% of day-to-day work decisions will be made autonomously through agentic AI, up from 0% in 2024 (41). Josh Bersin believes that agentic AI will change the HR tech stack and make our HR roles easier (42, 43). The likes of SAP (Joule), Workday (Illuminate) and ServiceNow (AI Agents) have already launched tools (44). Early use cases in HR are also emerging such as HiRO, a digital worker, IBM has used to save 50,000 hours in its quarterly promotion process (45, 46). From what I’ve learned in the last few months (and I’m still learning about this too), agentic AI – in essence a shift from Large Language Models to Large Action Models - provides a huge opportunity to rapidly accelerate HR’s progress from support function to strategic partner. Some suggestions for chief people officers to prepare: i) stay informed with the latest developments by keeping in touch with your peers, enterprise and HR tech partners, ii) identify and prioritise potential use cases, iii) upskill and prepare your team, iv) double down on ethics, privacy and responsible AI (47, 48, 49). One additional recommendation is to engage your people analytics team. Our research at Insight222 identified that AI strategy for the HR function is increasingly coming under the auspices of the people analytics leader (50). Moreover, this is also seeing the people analytics leader in some companies taking on a wider portfolio for disciplines such as HR tech and digital transformation, people strategy and operations (51, 52, 53).
FIG 3: A System of Agents (Source: Foundation Capital)
4. Elevating hybrid from where to how
What we need isn’t an office mandate—it’s a ‘collaboration mandate.’ (54)
There’s still too much focus on where people work rather than how work gets done. Despite executives being 3x more likely to say the how is more important (55). Indeed, with more than 90% of companies having hybrid workers (56) and with employees working remotely on average more than 25% of the time (57) it’s time to elevate the conversation from an office to a collaboration mandate (58). HR has an opportunity to lead the redesign of work through conducting experiments and collecting data to learn how work is getting done, and how employees are feeling (59). The shift to hybrid has been one of the key factors driving growth in people analytics (60). The body of published research is growing with several studies finding that in comparison to their fully in-person or remote colleagues, hybrid workers have higher wellbeing (61), engagement (62) and retention but no difference in collaboration and innovation (63). Additional research provides guidance on when in-person matters (64), making the office a magnet not a mandate (65), cultivating culture (66), fostering trust (67), and focusing on outcomes (68 – FIG 4) including broadening how we measure productivity (69). Hybrid is here to stay, so let’s make hybrid work – for companies, and for workers – and let’s follow the science rather than the headlines (70).
FIG 4: Focus on Productivity, Not Physical Presence (Source: Brian Elliott)
5. Investing in a people analytics “A Team”
In “A” Teams, people analytics is embedded in the people strategy. “A” Teams regularly and dynamically prioritise their work according to the needs of the C-suite and the business agenda (71)
People analytics is now widely acknowledged as an organisational imperative (72), with chief people officers recognising that they need data and insights to gain traction with the board (73). Recent studies by Deloitte (74), Josh Bersin (75) and PwC (76), as well as our own fifth annual Insight222 People Analytics Trends study (77), all show significant growth in people analytics. Yet, together, they also highlight that most organisations are still only scratching the surface of what is possible. Only 10% of the 348 companies that participated in the Insight222 study are defined as “A” Teams (see FIG 4). Our research – and experience of working directly with over 100 organisations through the Insight222 People Analytics Program® – finds virtually all “A” Teams play a key role in defining the people strategy and effectively align their work to the most important business priorities accordingly (78), echoing other studies (79, 80). Additionally, chief people officers can realise more value with people analytics by focusing on: i) Improving the adoption and consumption of people data and insights by employees and managers. ii) Using intelligent automation to personalise analytics solutions. iii) Measuring the value of people analytics, working closely with finance (81). Success istarts with the right people analytics leader (82), who should be executive influencers, consultants, storytellers and marketeers. The role of the people analytics leader continues to evolve, and chief people officers should carefully consider the type of leader they need (83, 84). People analytics - and the ability to drive actions with insights – is the silver thread to unlock and realise all the opportunities outlined in this article, and a critical element of the drive to make HR more evidence-based (85). Remember, as Jonathan Ferrar and I wrote in our book, Excellence in People Analytics:
People Analytics is not about HR. People Analytics is about the business (86, 87).
FIG 5: Insight222 Leading Companies in People Analytics model (Source: Insight222)
6. Making workforce planning strategic
Strategic workforce planning is a perennial challenge. Although the core principles are not new, the urgency to act has increased, and the availability of data-driven insights has changed the competitive landscape (88)
Strategic workforce planning (SWP) is essentially a systematic and data-led approach for an organisation to ensure it has the right workforce to achieve its business objectives (89). With the speed and extent of change arising from the fifth industrial revolution, talent shortages and the shift to skills, SWP has arguably never been so important. It is consistently cited as a top three priority for people leaders (90, 91), a challenge compounded by studies suggesting that only 15% of organisations currently practice SWP (92). Our research at Insight222 finds a growing number of companies – 50% in a 2024 study - combine SWP with people strategy and analytics (93). These companies are more successful in connecting their SWP activities to their business priorities (94), have a better view of their future talent needs, and the strategies to close any gaps (95). Four other steps to increase success with SWP are: i) Aligning SWP efforts with business strategy (96, 97 – see example from Merck Group in FIG 6) including prioritising business critical roles and skills (98); ii) Bringing together people, business and external data to get the full picture (99); iii) Connecting SWP to other talent capabilities such as internal mobility, recruiting and learning (100); and, iv) Measuring the impact of workforce planning activities and linking these to business outcomes (101).
FIG 6: How Merck prioritises SWP needs by relevance and actionability (Source: Gartner)
7. Orchestrating skills for Impact
A cultural shift to skills-first approaches needs both sponsorship from executives and governance from human-resources professionals (102)
While ‘skills’ has been an opportunity for HR for several years, the topic continues to gather momentum. Skills gaps and shortages are one of the most pressing concerns for companies (103). Rapid advances in technology only exacerbate the challenge (104), with 44% of workers’ skills expected to be disrupted by 2028 (105) and reskilling workers a primary objective for many companies (106). Consequently, one study reports that 90% of companies are experimenting with a skills-based approach (107). Why? Because becoming skills-based can lead to greater agility, resilience, and flexibility in the face of rapid change (108). EPAM, which has adopted a skills-based approach for 30 years, believes it catalyses its business agility and enables the company to attract, develop and retain some of the best tech talent in a highly competitive market (109). Meanwhile, Standard Chartered has generated over 1,700 gigs and $6m of productivity from its initial talent marketplace pilot in India (110, 111) and has also calculated that reskilling and redeploying internal talent generates a saving of $49,000 per role versus hiring externally (112). We are continually learning more about what drives success in this space including at companies such as Ericsson (113), J&J (114, 115), IBM (116), Google (117), Mastercard (118) and Lloyds Banking Group (119). Some steps to consider: i) Do your homework – shifting to a skills-based approach is not cheap or easy, make sure there is a business problem to solve (120, 121, 122 – see FIG 7). ii) Experiment – a skills-based approach will likely not be right for every role in your company. Focus on critical roles, start with a pilot and an executive sponsor (123). iii) Focus on data quality – data is the foundation on which your skills initiative will succeed or fail (124). iv) Get your people analytics team involved – our research at Insight222 finds that 50% of people analytics teams are supporting their company in becoming skills-based (125). v) Communicate the value and use skills as the glue to connect recruiting, learning, mobility, compensation and workforce planning together.
FIG 7: Skills-based talent management strategy, business outcomes can guide your actions (Source: Gartner)
8. Turning up the volume on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
The backlash against DEI is out of sync with the opinions held by the most important set of stakeholders: your employees (126)
Some companies – particularly in the US – are backtracking on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) even inexplicably decided to drop the ‘E’ from its IED framework, despite this flying in the face of years of research on DEI in the workplace (127, 128). This is an opportunity for HR to lead the fightback and protect the networks of people engaged in DEI work (129). It was certainly good to hear L’Oreal CHRO Jean Claude Le Grand on the main stage at UNLEASH declare that “DEI is not a trend. DEI is part of our DNA (130).” In 2025, despite fears about what Trump’s second term could mean for DEI (131), let’s hope we hear more chief people officers – especially those based in the US – making similar declarations, and backing it up with action. They will be helping their companies if they do. Firstly, because DEI programs are getting more popular with employees, not less (132) and help organisations attract, retain and engage talent (133). Secondly, research finds DEI, particularly at the leadership level, is connected to financial performance, innovation, and societal impact (134). Thirdly, incorporating DEI practices into core business planning can provide a competitive edge (135). People analytics has an important role to play in measuring DEI efforts and connecting them to outcomes (136) including using advanced analytics to get deeper insights on belonging (137), inclusion (138) and psychological safety (139). Indeed, our own research at Insight222 finds, for the fourth consecutive year, that DEI is one of the top three areas where people analytics is adding the most business value (140). While some companies pause or roll back their DEI programs, those that stay the course and redouble their efforts will drive organisational performance. So, let’s turn up the volume to maximum on DEI in 2025 and beyond.
FIG 8: The business case for diversity on executive teams and financial outperformance
9. Advancing social capital
If ‘human capital’ is about what an individual knows, ‘social capital’ is about how well positioned that individual is to use what they know to get work done.
Social capital represents the next frontier for HR in gaining a deeper understanding of what drives individual, team and organisational effectiveness. As Michael Arena explains, if ‘human capital’ is about what an individual knows, ‘social capital’ is about how well positioned that individual is to use what they know to get work done. (141). The study of social capital is not new. Indeed, the likes of Arena and Rob Cross have been doing this work for decades – and specialist firms such as Worklytics, Cognitive Talent Solutions, Polinode and Innovisor have grown by specialising in this field. But like a lot of the 2025 opportunities presented here, a combination of the pandemic, the rise of distributed and hybrid work, and advances in technology mean that the need for analysing social capital and the ability to do so have increased dramatically. We can see this in the passive element of employee listening programs, which enables organisations to combine active data from surveys with passive data to understand the impact of topics such as hybrid working, meetings, and focus time on outcomes such as wellbeing, collaboration, innovation, productivity and attrition (142,143,144,145,146, 147, 148). Other use cases for network data exist to support work around topics as diverse as: M&A (149), performance (150), DEIB (151, 152), skills mapping (153), team effectiveness (154) and the identification of key influencers (155). For those looking to get started with a pilot, I recommend identifying a specific business problem to solve, getting a business sponsor, keeping the scope manageable, involving your IT and privacy team (and works council if appropriate), and considering partnering with a vendor (156).
FIG 9: Organization network analysis can help uncover collaboration within an organization (Source: Deloitte)
10. Enabling the HR professional of the future
41% of chief people officers wish they had had greater depth in people analytics prior to assuming their roles (157)
If HR is to become a true strategic partner to the business, then we must upskill ourselves, focusing on developing competencies that create value (158, 159). Chief people officers need to invest in attracting and developing HR professionals with the vision, agility and business acumen to navigate an everchanging landscape, raising the technology and analytical expertise of the function (160). Let’s take one area where the function needs to upskill that I know well from the work we do at Insight222 around improving the data literacy of HR professionals (161). Our research highlights five key skills to elevate data of literacy for HR: i) consulting, ii) influencing stakeholders, iii) interpreting data, iv) building recommendations from insights, and v) storytelling (162). While there has been steady progress with 58% of companies (163) now saying they have a data driven culture in HR (up from 42% in 2021), there is still some way to go – and the opportunities afforded by AI make it even more important for HR professionals to acquire these skills. Tellingly, this is an area of development for senior HR leaders too with 41% of chief people officers wishing they had had greater depth in people analytics prior to assuming their roles (164). With Insight222 research also finding that role-modelling of people data and analytics by the chief people officer and HR leadership team is paramount for the improvement of data literacy across the HR function overall (165), this is an opportunity that chief people officers can ill afford to squander. The HR function will continue to evolve with new roles emerging (166). We need to take the ethos of continuous learning that we advocate for the rest of the organisation and apply it to ourselves in HR.
FIG 10: Example of a learning journey Insight222 delivers to HR leaders, BPs and professionals (see here)
FIG 11: 13 HR Jobs of the Future (Source: Jeanne Meister)
References
(1) PwC 27th Annual Global CEO Survey: Thriving in an age of continuous reinvention (PwC 2024)
(2) Josh Bersin Why Is It So Hard To Be A Chief HR Officer (CHRO)? (Josh Bersin 2024)
(3) 2024 Global Human Capital Trends: Thriving beyond boundaries – Human performance in a boundaryless world (Deloitte 2024)
(4) Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, FRSA Miriam Daucher Alexandra Zea - The future of human resources: Who will care for the human at work? (Mercer 2024)
(5) Insight222 Research Homepage (Insight222)
(6) Digital HR Leaders Podcast Homepage (Insight222)
(7) Jacqui Brassey, PhD, MA, MAfN ?️ (née Schouten) Lars Hartenstein Barbara Jeffery Dr. Patrick Simon Working nine to thrive (McKinsey 2024)
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(25) Bersin (see 2)
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(27) Dave Ulrich Joe Grochowski Norm Smallwood Joe Hanson Ernesto Uscher, What Makes an Effective HR Function? (LinkedIn, 2023)
(28) Sandra Durth Neel Gandhi Asmus Komm Florian Pollner – HR’s new operating model (McKinsey 2022)
(29) Kraig Eaton Susan Cantrell Kim Eberbach Julie Duda, From function to discipline: The rise of boundaryless HR (Deloitte 2024)
(30) Josh Bersin Kathi Enderes, The Definitive Guide to Human Resources: Systemic HR (2023)
(31) Naomi Verghese Jonathan Ferrar Jordan Pettman, Building the People Analytics Ecosystem: Operating Model v 2.0 (Insight222 2024)
(32) Jay Dorio How CHROs Can Drive Strategic Influence with People Analytics: Insights from Rabobank’s Janine Vos (myHRfuture 2024)
(33) Jaap Veldkamp - Positioning People Analytics into the HR Service Model: A Path to Sustainable Impact (2024)
(34) Nickle LaMoreaux David Green ??, How IBM Uses AI to Transform Their HR Strategies (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode 2024)
(35) Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, FRSA Helen White Kate Bravery Jason Averbook Todd Lambrugo – Generative AI will transform three key HR roles (Mercer 2023)
(36) Bedard et al (see 23)
(37) Josh Bersin Job Task Re-Engineering With AI: A Massive Opportunity Ahead (2024)
(38) Jesuthasan et al (see 4)
(39) LaMoreaux and Green (see 34)
(40) Lareina Yee Michael Chui Roger Roberts Stephen Xu, Why agents are the next frontier of generative AI (McKinsey 2024)
(41) Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2025 (2024)
(42) Josh Bersin AI Agents, The New Workforce We’re Not Quite Ready For (Agentic AI) (2024)
(43) Joanne Chen Jaya Gupta, A System of Agents brings Service-as-Software to life (2024)
(44) Felipe Jara, HR - Let's Prepare for a Big Wave of Multi-Agents AI Systems (2024)
(45) LaMoreaux, Green (see 34)
(46) Jon Lester A Future for HR (IBM, 2024)
(47) Jason Averbook, AI Agents: The Next Frontier in HR Technology, and, How AI Agents are Revolutionizing HR—and How to Get Ready (2024)
(48) Lars Schmidt Agents of (Massive) Change: How AI Agents Are Poised to Alter Work (LinkedIn Talent Blog, 2024)
(49) Anshul Sheopuri Lucrecia Borgonovo, At the inflection of AI and HR: How we’re equipping employees for the AI era (Mastercard, 2024)
(50, 51) Verghese, et al (see 31)
(52) Richard Rosenow From Data to Strategy: The New Role of Workforce Systems Leaders in Transforming HR (One Model, 2024)
(53) Andrés García Ayala People analytics at the heart of AI’s successful workplace adoption (2024)
(54) Michael Arena Philip Arkcoll, The collaboration mandate: Does returning to the office improve innovation? (PEX, 2024)
(55) Annie Dean, Lessons Learned: 1,000 Days of Distributed at Atlassian (Atlassian, 2024)
(56) Debra Clark, Hybrid Working Trends (The HR Director, 2024)
(57) Jose Maria Barrero Nick Bloom Shelby Buckman Steven J. Davis – SWAA December 2024 Updates (WFH Research, 2024)
(58) Arena, Arkcoll (see 54)
(59) Lynda Gratton, Redesigning How We Work (HBR 2023)
(60) Insight222, What Are The Five Trends Shaping People Analytics in 2024? (myHRfuture, 2024)
(61) Heidi Grant Ginnie Carlier Frank Giampietro, Using Data to Design Your Hybrid Work Policies
(62) Heidi Manna David Green ??, How to Create a Flexible Work Model That Enhances Inclusion and Employee Experience (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode)
(63) Nick Bloom James Liang Ruobing Han, One Company A/B Tested Hybrid Work. Here’s What They Found (HBR 2024)
(64) Dawn Klinghoffer Karen Kocher Maryleen Emeric Leal Jared Spataro, In the Changing Role of the Office, It’s All about Moments That Matter (Microsoft 2023)
(65) Kelly Jones, Unlocking the Power of Hybrid Work: 5 Guiding Principles from Cisco's 3-Year Study Article | White Paper | Executive Summary
(66) Michael Arena Andras Vicsek John Golden, Ph.D. Scott Hines, PhD, Cultivating Culture in a Hybrid Context
(67) Alexandra Camp Phil Kirschner Laura Pineault Dr. Patrick Simon, Hybrid can be healthy for your organization—when done right
(68) Brian Elliott, Return-to-Office Mandates: How to Lose Your Best Performers (MIT SMR 2024)
(69) Lynda Gratton - Seven Truths About Hybrid Work and Productivity MIT SMR 2024)
(70) Marc Effron , Above the Fray: What We Know About How WFH and Hybrid Affect Work
(71) Jonathan Ferrar Naomi Verghese Madhura Chakrabarti, PhD, Harnessing Data for Growth: The Impact of People Analytics (Insight222, 2024)
(72) Eric Lesser Peter DeBellis Marc Solow, 2023 High-Impact People Analytics Research (Deloitte, 2024)
(73) Shari Chernack Jonathan Gordin, 2024 Voice of the CHRO: Maximizing HR effectiveness in a changing landscape (Mercer, 2024)
(74) Lesser et al (see 72)
(75) Josh Bersin, People Analytics, A Complex Domain, Is About To Be Transformed by AI (2024)
(76) PwC Saratoga, Saratoga Annual Benchmarking Report 2024 (PwC, 2024)
(77, 78) Ferrar et al (see reference 71)
(79) Dave Ulrich Harrison James, Human Capability and Stakeholder Value: Updating the Organization Guidance System (LinkedIn, 2024)
(80) Thomas Hedegaard Rasmussen, Mike Ulrich Dave Ulrich - Moving People Analytics From Insight to Impact (Sage Journals, 2023)
(81) Jasmine Panayides, Partnering with Finance to Drive Greater Business Impact with People Analytics (myHRfuture, 2024)
(82) Patrick Coolen, The 10 golden rules for establishing a people analytics practice (LinkedIn, 2024)
(83) Verghese et al (see 31)
(84) Rosenow (see 52)
(85) Rob Briner David Green ??, What is Evidence Based HR and Why is it Important? (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, 2024)
(86) Jonathan Ferrar David Green ??, Excellence in People Analytics (Kogan Page Publishing, 2021)
(87) David Green ??, A History of People Analytics in Five Ages (LinkedIn, 2021)
(88) Jens Stefan Baier, Vinciane Beauchene, Julie Bedard, Jean-Michel Caye, Dr. Philipp Kolo, Fang Ruan, Alexander Alonso, PhD SHRM-SCP, Anthony Ariganello, Kai H. Helfritz, Bob Morton, Chartered CCIPD, Lucas van Wees, Wilson Wong - Creating People Advantage: Set the Right People Priorities for Challenging Times (BCG, 2023)
(89) Adam Gibson Nicola Oldroyd, Agile Workforce Planning (Strategic Workforce Planning, Best Practices and Emerging Directions, Oxford University Press, 2024)
(90) Baier et al (see 88)
(91) Kate Bravery Joana Silva Jens Peterson, 2024 Global Talent Trends (Mercer, 2024)
(92) Mark Whittle Liana Passantino, PhD Maggie Schroeder-O’Neal, Top 5 Priorities for HR Leaders in 2025 (Gartner, 2024)
(93) Verghese et al (see 31)
(94) Laura Wright Shubert David Green ??, How MetLife Made a Success of their Strategic Workforce Planning (Digital HR Leaders podcast, 2022)
(95) Alex Browne David Green ??, Nestlé's 4B Methodology to Strategic Workforce Planning (Digital HR Leaders podcast, 2023)
(96) Alicia Roach, Chris Hare David Green ??, How to Democratise Strategic Workforce Planning (Digital HR Leaders podcast, 2023)
(97) Whittle et al (see 92)
(98) Rebecca Thielen and David Green ??, Microsoft's Key to Strategic Workforce Planning Success (Digital HR Leaders podcast, 2024)
(99) Jeroen Van Hautte ?, How unlocking skills lies in capturing business data (TechWolf, 2023)
(100) Brian Heger, Enabling Strategic Workforce Planning Through Skills, Artificial Intelligence, and Internal Talent Marketplace (Strategic Workforce Planning, Best Practices and Emerging Directions, Oxford University Press, 2024)
(101) Jonathan Ferrar, How to Build a Workforce Planning Strategy that Delivers Business Value (myHRfuture, 2021)
(102) World Economic Forum and PwC, Putting Skills First: Opportunities for Building Efficient and Equitable Labour Markets (World Economic Forum, 2024)
(103) Baier et al (see reference 88)
(104) MIT SMR Connections and Mercer, Strategic Shift: Skills-Powered Organizations in the Age of AI (MIT, 2024)
(105) Attilio Di Battista, Sam Grayling, Elselot Hasselaar, Till Alexander Leopold, Ricky LI, Mark Rayner and Saadia Zahidi – The Future of Jobs Report 2023 (World Economic Forum, 2023)
(106) Anish Lalchandani and David Green ??, The Four Reskilling Principles Every HR Leader Should Know (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, myHRfuture, 2024)
(107) Susan Cantrell, Michael Griffiths, Robin Jones, and Julie Hiipakka - The skills-based organization: A new operating model for work and the workforce (Deloitte, 2022)
(108) Allan Schweyer, Barbara Lombardo, PhD, Matt Rosenbaum and Peter Sheppard, The Long but Rewarding Journey to Becoming a Skills-Driven Organization (The Conference Board, 2024)
(109) Sandra Loughlin, PhD and David Green ??, Building a Skills-Based Organisation: Lessons from a 30-Year Journey (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, myHRfuture, 2024)
(110) World Economic Forum and PwC (see reference 102)
(111) Ravin Jesuthasan, CFA, FRSA and Tanuj Kapilashrami, The Skills-Powered Organization: The Journey to the Next Generation Enterprise (MIT Press, 2024)
(112) Tanuj Kapilashrami, Michael Fraccaro, Tamla Oates-Forney, and David Green ??, CHRO Panel: Delivering against the transformation imperative (Gloat, 2024) – see extract
(113) Schweyer et al (see reference 108)
(114) Nick van der Meulen, Olgerta Tona, and Dorothy Leidner, Resolving Workforce Skills Gaps with AI-Powered Insights (MIT, 2024)
(115) Christina Norris-Watts, Doug Shagam, and David Green ?? - How Johnson & Johnson are Scaling Their Skills-Based Approach to Talent (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, myHRfuture, 2023)
(116) Lamoreaux and Green (see reference 34)
(117) Bo Cowgill, Jonathan Davis, Pablo Montagnes, Patryk Perkowski and Bettina Hammer - How to Design an Internal Talent Marketplace (Harvard Business Review, 2023)
(118) Michael Fraccaro and David Green ??, How Mastercard is Using AI to Drive Employee Success and Leadership Growth (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, myHRfuture, 2024)
(119) Lara Wainwright, Duncan Reynell and David Green ??, How Digital Transformation Fuels Skills and EX at Lloyds Banking Group (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, myHRfuture, 2024)
(120) Marc Effron, Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze? Questions About Becoming a Skills-based Organization (The Talent Strategy Group , 2024)
(121) Jaejin Lee, Skill-based Transformation: “Don't Start with Skills, Start with Work!” (LinkedIn, 2024)
(122) Gartner, Skills-based talent management strategy, business outcomes can guide your actions – Gareth Flynn, LinkedIn post (Gartner, 2024)
(123) Mikaël Wornoo? and David Green ??, How to Use Skills Data to Solve Business Challenges Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, myHRfuture, 2024)
(124) Sandra Loughlin, PhD, Seven Elements of Skills Data Quality (LinkedIn, 2024)
(125) Verghese et al (see reference 31)
(126) Brian Elliott, How to Stand Up When It Comes to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2024)
(127) Enrica Ruggs and Oscar Holmes IV, Why Dropping the E in DEI Is a Mistake (Harvard Business Review, 2024)
(128) Josh Bersin, DEI Attacked by SHRM, Civility In The Workplace, And The ROI of AI (Josh Bersin, 2024)
(129) Lori Nishiura Mackenzie, Sarah Soule, Shelley J. Correll, and Melissa C. Thomas-Hunt, How DEI Can Survive This Era of Backlash (Harvard Business Review, 2024)
(130) David Green ??, Key Learnings from Unleash World 2024 (LinkedIn, 2024)
(131) Kenji Yoshino, David Glasgow, and Christina Joseph, What Trump’s Second Term Could Mean for DEI (Harvard Business Review, 2024)
(132) Elliott (see reference 126)
(133) BCG, It’s Time to Highlight the Business Opportunity of DEI Initiatives (BCG, 2024)
(134) Dame Vivian Hunt, Sundiatu Dixon-Fyle, Celia Huber, Maria del Mar Martinez, Sara Prince, and Ashley Thomas - Diversity matters even more: The case for holistic impact (McKinsey, 2023)
(135) Quinetta Roberson, How Integrating DEI Into Strategy Lifts Performance (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2024)
(136) Lily Zheng, To Make Lasting Progress on DEI, Measure Outcomes (Harvard Business Review, 2023)
(137) Shujaat Ahmad, Real Measures that Matter for Real Change on DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) (Belong & Lead, 2024)
(138) Serena H. Huang, Ph.D., DEI Funding Cuts? You Need Data Analytics and AI More Than Ever (LinkedIn, 2024)
(139) Henrik Bresman and Amy Edmondson, Research: To Excel, Diverse Teams Need Psychological Safety (Harvard Business Review, 2022)
(140) Ferrar et al (see reference 71)
(141) Michael Arena, Leveraging Social Capital (HR Exchange Network, 2018)
(142) Klinghoffer et al (see reference 64)
(143) Rob Cross, Mike Benson, Jack Kostal, PhD, and RJ Milnor, Collaboration Overload is Sinking Productivity (Harvard Business Review, 2021)
(144) Arena et al (see reference 66)
(145) Michael Arena, Adaptive Space (McGraw Hill, 2018)
(146) Rob Cross, Beyond Collaboration Overload (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021)
(147) Rob Cross and Karen Dillon, The Microstress Effect (Harvard Business Review Press, 2023)
(148) Michael Arena and David Green ??, What the Impact of Distributed Work on Organisational Networks Tells Us About the Future of Talent Management, (Digital HR Leaders podcast episode, myHRfuture, 2024)
(149) Francisco Marin, 5 Ways ONA Creates Value in Mergers and Acquisitions, (LinkedIn, 2020)
(150) Maya Bodan, Don Miller, Susan Cantrell, Gary Parilis, and Carissa Kilgour, Harnessing organization network analysis (ONA): Measure workforce performance and optimize strategies (Deloitte, 2024)
(151) Inga Carboni, Andrew Parker, and Nan Langowitz, Mapping Exclusion in the Organization (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2021)
(152) Jonathan Ferrar and David Green ??, How Can Passive ONA Highlight the Impact of Relationships on Diversity and Inclusion? (MyHRfuture, 2021)
(153) Lee (see reference 121)
(154) Michael Arena and Philip Arkcoll, Enabling High-Velocity Teams (HR Exchange Network, 2024)
(155) Jeppe Vilstrup Hansgaard, How to Rethink Change with the Three Percent Rule (Innovisor, 2019)
(156) Manish Goel and David Green ??, The Role of Network Analytics (ONA) in Ensuring Team Collaboration and Well Being (myHRfuture, 2020)
(157) Jonathan Gordin, Shari Chernack, Karen Shellenback, and Yamile Bruzza, Evolving the CHRO role in a rapidly changing world of work (Mercer 2023)
(158) Dave Ulrich, Update on HR Business Partner Model Continuing Evolution and Relevance (LinkedIn, 2024)
(159) Dave Ulrich, Patrick Wright, Mike Ulrich, Erin Wilson Burns, Do you want to be more effective as an HR professional? Here’s how (The RBL Group, 2021)
(160) Chernack and Gordin (see reference 67)
(161) Insight222 Building a Data-Driven Culture in HR, Immersive Learning Experiences, (Insight222, 2024)
(162) Naomi Verghese, Jonathan Ferrar - Upskilling the HR Profession: Building Data Literacy at Scale (Insight222, 2023)
(163) Ferrer et al (see reference 71)
(164) Gordin et al (see reference 157)
(165) Naomi Verghese Why is Role-modelling by the CHRO and HRLT Essential for Building Data Literacy in HR? (myHRfuture, 2023)
(166) Jeanne C M. 13 HR jobs of the future (HR Executive, 2024)
A selection of other 2025 HR predictions, opportunities and trends
There are a plethora of other resources documenting predictions, opportunities and trends for HR and the future of work in 2025 including (in alphabetical order):
Alexandra Nawrat, Five New Year’s resolutions for HR leaders in 2025
Andrew Spence, Beyond Prediction: Shaping Your Work Story in an Uncertain World - Andrew walks through seven dominant narratives on the Future of Work - from 'Dataism' to the 'Singularity' via 'Job Destruction.'
Daniel Zhao, Glassdoor Worklife Trends 2025 - includes data showing that Gen Z will make up 1 in 10 managers in 2025.
Gartner, Top 5 Priorities for HR Leaders in 2025
The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), 2025 Priorities & Predictions
Jen Colletta, 5 CHROs share what’s topping their 2025 HR strategy agenda - includes Melissa Werneck highlighting the HR's role as the ambassador for the responsible implementation of generative AI at work.
LinkedIn, Global Talent Trends
Dr. Solange Charas and Stela Lupushor, Crystal Balls and Cold Reality: HR Predictions for 2025
Steve Hunt, A guide to HR predictions, trends, and forecasts
Visier Inc., Embracing the AI Driven Workforce: 5 Workforce Trends for 2025
Unlock the potential of your people analytics function through the Insight222 People Analytics Program
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Green ?? is a globally respected author, speaker, conference chair, and executive consultant on people analytics, data-driven HR and the future of work. As Managing Partner and Executive Director at Insight222, he has overall responsibility for the delivery of the Insight222 People Analytics Program, which supports the advancement of people analytics in over 100 global organisations. Prior to co-founding Insight222, David accumulated over 20 years experience in the human resources and people analytics fields, including as Global Director of People Analytics Solutions at IBM. As such, David has extensive experience in helping organisations increase value, impact and focus from the wise and ethical use of people analytics. David also hosts the Digital HR Leaders Podcast and is an instructor for Insight222's myHRfuture Academy. His book, co-authored with Jonathan Ferrar, Excellence in People Analytics: How to use Workforce Data to Create Business Value was published in the summer of 2021.
MEET ME AT THESE EVENTS
I'll be speaking about people analytics, the future of work, and data driven HR at a number of upcoming events in early 2025:
January 21 - People Analytics in Italy: Insights from Research and Practice with Martha Curioni and Aizhan Tursunbayeva, PhD, GRP (VIRTUAL - Register here)
January 23 - The Strategic Outlook for People Analytics in 2025 with Ian Cook and Dawn Klinghoffer (WEBINAR - Register here)
February 26-27 - People Analytics World, Zürich
April 29-30 - People Analytics World, London
More events will be added as they are confirmed.
今天是选举日：HR机构领导者认为未来经济形势会更加光明
今天是选举日，有人正在权衡此次投票对美国经济可能带来的影响。
据《巴伦周刊》报道，Adecco集团的首席执行官Denis Machuel向法新社表示，无论谁获胜，选举结束后美国的招聘活动预计都会恢复。
“企业不喜欢不确定性：它们希望了解未来会发生什么。而这种不确定性并未真正有利于美国市场，”据《巴伦周刊》报道，“一旦选举结束，无论谁赢得选举，我们的经济将会比之前获得更多的推动力。”
10月22日的Robert Half财报电话会议也提到了选举及其不确定性。
“在通货膨胀较低和广泛预期进一步降息的背景下，NFIB的小企业乐观指数在过去六个月中有五个月呈上升趋势，”该公司总裁兼首席执行官M. Keith Waddell在电话会议中说道。“尽管如此，NFIB的不确定性指数却达到历史新高，部分原因是即将到来的美国选举。许多经济学家正在上调他们的预测，随着选举的结束，总体宏观环境应该会有所改善。”
供应管理协会（ISM）在其服务业ISM报告中也提到了选举，并指出“与上月相比，关于政治不确定性的担忧再次增加。”
总体而言，ISM指出其服务业PMI指数上升至56%，这是自2022年7月以来的最高水平，显示出美国服务业的加速扩张。然而，该报告基于全美采购和供应管理人员的数据，许多人提到选举对行业的影响。
“一些客户在我们的技术业务线和能源相关项目中着眼于未来——选举后将启动下一阶段项目，”一位采购和供应管理人员表示。
另一位ISM的受访者指出，由于资金在选举后才会释放，新订单略有下降。
而不仅是总统选举在影响着行业。几个州也在进行最低工资标准的投票，马萨诸塞州的选民则在投票是否为Uber等公司独立司机提供加入工会的途径，路透社报道。
在加州，选民将决定32号州提案是否通过，这项提案将把该州的最低工资标准在2026年提高到每小时18美元。该州已经要求快餐店员工的最低工资为每小时20美元。
原文作者：Craig Johnson
Today is Election Day, and some are weighing in on the possible impact of today’s vote on the US economy.
Adecco Group CEO Denis Machuel told AFP that regardless of who wins, hiring in the US should recover post-election, according to a report in Barron’s.
“Businesses don’t like uncertainty: They like to know what’s going to happen. And that level of uncertainty hasn’t really helped the US market,” according to the report in Barron’s. “Once this is over, no matter who wins, we’re going to have more tailwinds than we had so far.”
The election and uncertainty were also mentioned in Robert Half’s earnings call on Oct. 22.
“With lower inflation and widespread expectations of further rate cuts, the NFIB’s Small Business Optimism Index has been up five of the last six months,” President and CEO M. Keith Waddell said in the call. “That said, the NFIB’s Uncertainty Index is at all-time highs, in part due to the upcoming US elections. Many economists are making upward revisions to their forecasts, and as we get past the elections, the overall macro environment should begin to improve.”
The Institute for Supply Management also mentioned the election in its Services ISM report, noting that “concerns over political uncertainty were again more prevalent than the previous month.”
Overall, the ISM noted its Services PMI rose to a reading of 56% — the highest since July 2022 — indicating faster expansion in the US services sector. However, the report is based on data from purchasing and supply executives across the US, and several comments were made on the election.
“Seeing emerging projects in our technology business line as well as in energy-related projects, where many customers are looking forward — post-election — to release their next phases,” one purchasing and supply executive said.
Another ISM comment noted that new orders were slightly lower because of funds being held back until after the election.
And it’s not just the presidential election influencing the industry. Several states are voting on minimum wage rates, and Massachusetts voters are weighing in on whether to provide a path for independent contractor drivers at firms such as Uber to join unions, Reuters reported.
In California, voters are deciding on state Proposition 32, which would raise the state’s minimum wage to $18 per hour by 2026. The state already requires fast food workers to be paid $20 per hour.
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